Air cooling method and means



Jan. 8,1935. J. B, YQCH 1,986,873

AIR COOLING METHOD AND MANS Filed April 22, 1932 22 2a ":I---nl- 3% 3? 28 V2! s 2 7, 6 l 7 J/ l o 2 2 0.25

Patented lJan. 8, 1935 o 1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEl Ant cooLmG METHOD AND MEANS Jacob B. Yoch, St. Louis, Mo. Application April z2, 1932, serial No. 606,833 9 claims. (11261-119) `This invention relates to the art of refrigeration put end of a portable cooling device made in by the evaporation of moisture, and more particuaccordance with this invention: larly to the art of providing cool, washed and puri- Figure 2 is a horizontal section, taken on the ed air for the interior of homes, oilices, factories, line 2-2 in Figure 1; v 5 auditoriumsl and the like. In a system of air Figure 3 is a vertical section, taken on the line 5 refrigeration of this character, as the incoming 3-3 in Figure 2; air enters the cooling unit and passes through the Figure 4 is an elevation of the input end of the finely atomized water spray, it begins the process machine; and of evaporating the fine mist until the air becomes Figure 5 is a fiagmen'aly Vertical View 0f 8.' 10 partially saturated. In this process, the transfer modification, taken through the housing on the 10 of heat from the air to the water takes place. At line 5--5 in Figure 3.

the same time the water, which is constantly The apparatus comprises a housing 1. supportrecirculated, is being aerated and cooled, and ed on rollers or castors 2, so that it can be moved remains at constant wet-bulb temperature. The about at Will t any DOini Where its Cooling l cooled air then passes through the eliminator action is desired- The housing is divided inte 15 plates, where freemoisture is removed and rean anterior Compartment or chamber 3 and a. turned to the water source. This system requires posterior compartment or chamber 4 by ineens of a blower for moving the air, and-hitherto, has also a vertical transverse partition or wall 5, whose requiredawater pump for delivering the water at We1 end 6 iS spaced from the fiOOI '7 0f the high pressure to spraying nozzles. The water housing 1 to provide an opening 8 between the 20 pump, spray nozzles, and other parts of the water chambers 3 and 4. An air intake opening 9 in the system are expensive in first cost, absorb considupper end 0f the DesieliOl end Wall 10 Ofv the erable power, and require occasional inspection housing is DIOVided With e Screen 01' Open-WOrk and repairs. Furthermore, such a system is not Plate 11; and an eil Outlet Opening 12 the adapted for uscin connection with the usuai wirupper end of the anterior end well 18 is pro- 25 ing system of homes, in which the load on an outvided with en air-diffusing Ijegistel 14. Preferlet should not exceed one-fourth of ahorse-power, ably One having movable 01 adjustable louvers for the reason that the blower alone of a small 15- The register 14 is prOVided With Curved horicooling system requires at least onofourtn of a zontal deflector-slats 16 behind the louvers 15.

horso power to (ii-ivo in A frame 17, holding eliminator plates 18, is re- .30 Accordingly, the principal purpose 0f the prosmovably supported on a horizontal shelf or partient invention is to provide an improved cooling tion 19 behind the deflector slats 16. A vertical System of this character which can be operated partition 20 depends from the posterior or inner Without the use of a Water and spray edge 0f the Shelf 19, the lower edge V0f Said nozZlos partition 20 being spaced from the oor 7, prefer- 35 Another purpose is to provide a cooling appa.. ably at the same height as the lower edge 6 of ratus which is adapted for use in small rooms and th? parution 5- The 1,We1` portlon of the housing which can be operated from an ordinary electric 1 s adapted for holdmg a bod? of W?'ter the light Socket. f maxrmum level of the waterbemg indicated by the water line 22. An opening 23 is provided in 40 the top wall 24 of the tank 1, and is closed by a removable cover or lid 25. The tank l'may be drained through a nipple 26, normally closed by a removable cap 27. Water may be supplied to 0 Another purpose is to provide a portable cooling apparatus which can be shifted readily from one location or room to another.

Another purpose is to provide a cooling appa- Operated than those hltherto m use' and whlch at the posterior end of the tank. -A pipe 29 ex- W111 oeeupy much less space. tends through thcwah 1o to a float vatvc 3o, that other oblfects' advantages and desirable fea' shuts off the flow of water automatically when tures of the invention will appear in the course of the 1eve1 of the water reaches the water line 22. 5o the following description of illustrative embodi- A platform 31 is secured to the wall 10 and 50 ments of the spirit ofthe invention. I partition 5 and has mounted thereon a centrifu- In the accompanying drawing forming part of gal air blower 32 and an' electric motor 33 for this specification, in which like numbers of refdriving the blower 32. A pair of loats 34 are erence denote like parts wherever they occur, secured to and support an air intake 4pipe 35,

- Figure l is an elevation of the delivery or outwhose upper end telescopes into the depending E5 rams which can be much more cheaply' bum' and the tank through a manually operated valve 28 45 `apparatus is preferably placed near an open window or door, with its intake opening 9 facing the door or window, so that the warm, undersaturated exterior air will be taken in by the apparatus. Water may be supplied to the tank either by means of a hose or buckets through the opening 23 or through a hose or pipe connection to the valve 28. A body of water six inches deep in a tank having a oor thirty-six inches longk v and thirty inches wide will last twenty-four hours before it needs replenishing, so that the apparatus need not be continually connected to a source of water supply, but, after being iilled to the water line, may be transported to any point remote from the source of water supply, if so desired. Of course, a system of piping might be laid in a building so as toprovide convenient connections to the apparatus in a plurality of rooms or at different points in a building, in which case the water supply to the tank may be continuous.

The tank or housing 1 having been given its supply of water, the electric plug 38 of the motor circuit 39 is connected to an electric lightosocket,

and the blower 32 begins to operate, drawing in air from chamber 4 into the lower flared end of pipe 35 and thence into conduit 36, through the blower chamber and thence forcibly impinging it against the surface of the water in chamber 3. The height of the lower end of pipe 35 above the level of the water is such that the air suction of the pipe 35 on the water will be sufcient tc detach and draw up particles of. water from the surface, but without drawing up the full body of water into the pipe 35. The spray thus drawn up accompanies the air stream and is ejected with the latter from the blower outlet 37, thoroughly agitating thewater and so rippling the surface thereof in both chambers 3 and 4, which facilitates the production of spray underneath the suction end of pipe 35, as well as in the chamber 3 under the impact of the discharge from the blower. Furthermore, the weight of the water particles in the air stream greatly exceeds-that of the air" alone, so that the impact of the mistladen discharge from the voutlet 37 on the surface of the `water is more effective in producing a spray inthe chamber 3 than if the discharge consisted of air alone. It will, therefore, be appreciated that the discharge from the blower outlet 37 facilitates the production of spray under the suction end 35 of the blower by virtue of itsA rippling the surface of the water thereat, and

that the charging of the air stream with spray at the suction end 35 in turn increases the momentum and impact of the stream at the discharge outlet 37, thereby facilitating the rippling of thewater as well as the production of additional spray in the chamber 3. Another important feature that contributes to the thorough atomization-of the water particles resides in the action of the blower itself; the particles of water inthe air passing through the blowerare broken up into still finer particles by the impact of the moving blades or Vanes Vof the blower vagainst g, them, whilev at the` same time the `particles ofV air and water are thrown outwardly by centrifugal force against the walls of the blower housing so as to disintegrate the water particles still further. The mist-laden air is cooled in chamber 3 by the evaporation of the mist to increase the saturation or humidity of the air, and this mist-cooled air of increasedV humidity rises in the chamber and blows through the eliminator 18 and through the air diffuser 14 into the atmosphere outside of the housing 1, all free moisture lin the stream having been removed by the elimward the diffuser 14. The velocity of the air passing through the apparatus is such that the air is not exposed long enough to the evaporating mist to become completely saturated, so that the cooled air stream delivered from the apparatus is still capable of absorbing more moisture and so producing a still greater sensation of coolness in the auditorium or room to which it is being supplied.

'Ihe float 34 maintains constant the distance between the lower end of the suction pipe 35 and the surface of the water, irrespective of the level of the water in the tank, lifting and lowering the pipe 35 in the conduit 36 as the level of the water changes. Float 34 is essential for this purpose in cases where the water supply is not continuously may be increased to provide a. greater capacityv and to utilize more power. It will, also, be appreciated that, in some of its aspects, the invention extends beyond the art of cooling and may be useful in other situations.

It is understood that the words blower, air, water, etc. are intended to be broad and comprehensivel and to include within their scope equivalents that will serve the purpose of the particular feature or aspect of the invention defined by each respective claim. For instance, a discblade fan or screw propeller that projects the air axially is, also, a blower, and will have a suction end a-,s well as a discharge end.

Having thus fully described this invention, I hereby reserve the benet of all changes in form, arrangement, order, or use of parts, as it is evident that many minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the following claims.

' I claim:

1. The method of producing a spray, which comprises passing a stream of air in proximity to a body of water so as to entrain particles of the up the particles of water into still nner partici and then impinging the water-laden stream against the body of water.

2. In an apparatus for charging air with moisture. means for holding a body of water so as to expose its surface, and means for blowing air, said blowing means having its intake end above, and presented in spaced relation to, the surface of the body of water, and having its discharge end. directed toward the surface of. the body of water.

3. Iman apparatus for ltreating air, a pair of chambers each adapted for holding water at the bottom, and means for delivering air from one of said chambers into the other, the first-mentioned chamber having an air-inlet and the second of said chambers having an air-outlet, the intake end of the air delivery means being located in said inst-mentioned chamber above, and presented in 'spaced relation to, the plane of the level of the water in said chamber, and the said air delivery means discharging down against the plane of the level of the water in said second-mentioned chamber.

4. In an apparatus for treating a stream of air, a pair of chambers each adapted for holding water at the bottom, and means for blowing air from one of said chambers into the other, the firstmentioned chamber having an air inlet and the second of said chambers having an air outlet, the intake end of the air blowing means being located in said first-mentioned chamber above. and presented in spaced relation to,the plane of the level of the water in said chamber, and means in said second-mentioned chamber for extracting free moisture from the air before it arrives atthe said air outlet in said second-mentioned chamber.

In an apparatus for treating air, a pair of chambers each adapted for holding water; at the bottom and communicating with each other at their bottoms, and means for delivering air from one of said chambers into the other, the firstmentioned chamber having ari air-inlet and the second of said chambers having an air-outlet, the intake endof the air delivery means being located in said first-mentioned chamber above, and presented in spaced relation to, the plane of the level of the water in said chamber, and. the said air delivery means discharging down against the plane of the level of the water in said. secondmentioned chamber, and means in said secondmentioned chamber for extracting free moisture from the air before it arrives at the air outlet of the second-mentioned chamber.

6, In an apparatus for treating air, a tank adapted for holding water at the bottom, and a centrifugal blower mounted in said tank above the level of:A the water and having a depending suction conduit whose lower end is presented in suitable space relation to the surface of the water. and a discharge pipe which is directed obliquely downwardA toward the surface of the water,

'7. InV an apparatus for treating air, a tank adapted for holding water at the bottom, and a centrifugal blower mounted in said tank above the level of the water and having a depending suction conduit whose lower end is so spaced from the level of the water as ,to suck in the maximum quantity ofwater and air.

8. Apparatus for producing a'spray which comprises two chambers for holding water, means for delivering air from one of said chambers into the other, the ilrst mentioned chamber having an air inlet and the second of said chambers having an air outlet, said outlet having horizontal deiieotor slats curved downwardly, the intake end of the air delivery means being located in said first mentioned chamber above, and the said air delivery means discharging down against the water in said second mentioned chamber.

9. In an apparatus for treating air, a tank for holding water and comprising two compartments. a centrifugal blower mounted in one of the said compartments above the level of the water and having a vertically depending suction condui and a discharge pipe directed obliquely downward toward the surface of the water in the said sec-` ond compartment.

JACOB Bf Yom. 

